Angela Summers Defies the Odds to be the Inspirational Last Finisher

Angela Summers, 61, from Fallowfield in Manchester, was the inspirational final finisher at Sunday’s AJ Bell Great Manchester Run. For Angela, it was more than a race, it was a chance to give others hope, test her resilience, and demonstrate the unbreakable strength of community.

Battling stage 4 cancer since 2021 and told she had just 6 to 18 months to live, Angela defied the odds to walk across the finish line three and a half years later – surrounded by friends, family, and supporters.

The biggest AJ Bell Great Manchester Run in over a decade saw over 35,000 runners and 150,000 cheering supporters create an electric atmosphere under blazing sunshine but is was Angela’s emotional finale that truly touched every heart and brought the day to a powerful close.

“Every time I go across that line, I just think, ‘That’s another year I’ve been here’. When I was first diagnosed, I never thought I’d do the 10K again – and now I’ve done it three years in a row since.” Said Angela

Crossing the finishing line, she was met with cheers, hugs, and tears from her team and strangers alike. “It’s hard to put into words. Three and a half years ago, I was being told I might never walk again. Every finish line is borrowed time. It keeps me alive, physically and mentally.”

Angela has a long-running history with the Great Manchester Run, first taking part in 2005. However shortly after completing the postponed September race in 2021, she was diagnosed with incurable lung and spinal cancer.

Initially believing the back pain that followed the race was a trapped nerve, she was devastated to learn it was in fact a spinal tumour – a secondary cancer from a primary tumour in her lung. Doctors told Angela the tumour was inoperable, and that she may never walk again, and gave her a prognosis of just 6 to 18 months. But Angela refused to give in.

After beginning intensive chemotherapy, she began walking short distances with the help of Nordic hiking poles. “It was freezing, it was painful, but it gave me something to work towards,” she recalled. “Walking every day gave me a sense of purpose again and helped relieve the pain.”

Finding Strength in Support

Angela’s daughter Josie, then 22, rallied friends and family into forming a team to take part in the 2022 Great Manchester Run in her mum’s honour as the realisation set in that Angela was too ill to take part. Inspired by their support, Angela made the decision to join them herself at the last minute – and has done so every year since.

Talking of her daughter’s support she said, “She’s not even a runner – but she made all this happen.”

Now more than 30 strong, their running group raises funds for Maggie’s – a cancer support charity which has played a key role in Angela’s recovery supporting her, and importantly her family as they navigated her cancer diagnosis. She began attending yoga classes at their centres while undergoing treatment, gaining the confidence to move again when she was told she might not.

“Maggie’s was a lifeline,” she said. “They helped me believe that I could do something. That I still had a life worth living, even with cancer.”

Robin Muir, Maggie’s Manchester Centre Head, said: “It is incredible to see Angela continue to complete her goals and do what she loves. Her choosing to support Maggie’s in this way helps to ensure that Maggie’s can be there for people with cancer and their families.”

A Living Testament to Hope

Angela has undergone 36 rounds of chemotherapy and still attends scans every three months. Though the tumours remain, they are stable allowing her to remain off chemo for the past 12 months.

She walks every day – aiming for 10,000 steps – and trains for each 10K event with the same determination that got her through treatment, using her sticks for support.

“I can’t run anymore, the pain’s too much, but I can still walk. I take painkillers, I lean on my poles, and I get it done,” she said.

Angela hopes her story encourages others facing serious illness not to give up. “Even if you’re told the worst – never say never. You don’t have to run. You can walk. You can move. And the support you get from something like this – it’s powerful. It can carry you through.”

“People say it’s about the medicine – but for me, just as important has been the people. The love. The purpose.”

Angela and her team will continue raising money for Maggie’s, and they’re already planning next year’s participation in the event.

“I may come in last every time,” she laughed, explaining how the bike escort to the finish now recognise her each year. “But I’ll keep coming.”